ICRC media brief December 2013

09-12-2013

Advance notice of ICRC activities and events, plus information on new footage, films and photos.

AFRICA

Mali: An overview of the action the ICRC is taking to restore contact between family members separated by conflict will be published on www.icrc.org. For further information, please contact Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Geneva, at wsaugeron@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 31 49 or +41 79 244 64 05.

Niger: An outline of the ICRC's activities in the region of Diffa, in the south-eastern part of the country near the Nigerian border, will be published on www.icrc.org. For further information, please contact Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Geneva, at wsaugeron@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 31 49 or +41 79 244 64 05.

South Sudan: Clashes have continued in recent months in Jonglei state and flooding has also affected people in numerous areas around the country. An operational update covering the main ICRC activities in South Sudan will be issued by the middle of December. For further information, please contact Sitara Jabeen, ICRC Geneva, at sjabeen@icrc.org or on +41 79 536 92 31.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Now that fighting has ended between the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and M23 in Ruthsuru, displaced people are starting to go back home. However, the need for humanitarian aid remains considerable in other areas in the east of the country. Read the operational update on www.icrc.org. For further information, please contact Jean-Yves Clémenzo, ICRC Geneva, at jclemenzo@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17.

MIDDLE EAST

Syria: Updates on the humanitarian situation and our activities are available regularly on www.icrc.org and on Twitter, @ICRC or @dibehfakhr. For further information, please contact Dibeh Fakhr, ICRC Geneva, at dfakhr@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 37 23 or +41 79 447 37 26.

Iraq: Widows in Iraq still struggle on daily basis to provide food for their families. The ICRC is assisting them with small projects that allow them to gain income and live in dignity. An audio-visual piece will tell the story of two of these widows who managed to rebuild their lives and become the bread-winners of their families. Also from Iraq, the head of delegation will provide an update on our visits to detainees. Footage will be available showing how ICRC delegates work in places of detention in Iraq. For further information, please contact Dibeh Fakhr, ICRC Geneva, at dfakhr@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 37 23 or +41 79 447 37 26. Also stay tuned on twitter @icrc or @dibehfakhr.

Israel/occupied territories: In a web interview, the ICRC's head of operations for the Near and Middle East will focus attention on house demolitions, one of the consequences of occupation policies in Israel and the occupied territories. The interview also explains certain issues raised in a recent article by the ICRC's president that sets out the organization's position on these policies. For further information, please contact Dibeh Fakhr, ICRC Geneva, at dfakhr@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 37 23 or +41 79 447 37 26. Also stay tuned on twitter @icrc or @dibehfakhr.

Qatar: A regional seminar on international humanitarian law for armed forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council will be held for the first time in Qatar. On this occasion, a news release will be issued and posted on www.icrc.org. For further information, please contact Dibeh Fakhr, ICRC Geneva, at dfakhr@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 37 23 or +41 79 447 37 26. Also stay tuned on twitter @ICRC or @dibehfakhr.

Yemen: On the International Day of Migration, footage from Yemen will reveal the plight of migrants in the deportation centre in Sana'a waiting to be sent back home. In addition, an operational update on our latest activities in the country will be posted on www.icrc.org. For further information, please contact Dibeh Fakhr, ICRC Geneva, at dfakhr@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 37 23 or +41 79 447 37 26. Also stay tuned on twitter @ICRC or @dibehfakhr.

ASIA

Philippines: Operational updates, video footage and photos on the humanitarian situation and our activities following Typhoon Haiyan will be posted on www.icrc.org and on Twitter, @ICRC. For further information, please contact Ewan Watson, ICRC Geneva, at ewatson@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 33 45 or +41 79 244 64 70.

Australia: A workshop on best practices for safeguarding health care amid conflict or other emergencies will held in Sydney for military personnel from around the world. A media alert and news release will be issued. For further information, please contact Andrea Lunt, ICRC Australia, on +61 2 6273 2968 or +61 418 485 120.

OTHER TOPICS

Migration: To mark International Migrants Day on December 18, the ICRC will be issuing a news release focussing on the needs of the families of migrants. It will also publish a report prepared by its Dakar office and the Senegalese Red Cross on the problems facing families in that country whose migrant relatives have gone missing as well as an interview with the Head of Operations for the Americas on the issue of migration in Central America and Mexico. For further information, please contact Bernard Barrett, ICRC Geneva, at bbarrett@icrc.org or +41 22 730 24 04 or +41 79 217 32 06.

Private military and security companies and International Humanitarian Law: Montreux+5 Conference: Five years after the signature of the Montreux Document, in which States agree on how international humanitarian law and international human rights law apply to the activities of private military and security companies during armed conflict, 63 countries will gather for the Montreux+5 Conference. At this event, to be organized by the Swiss government together with the ICRC and held on 11-13 December, the States will assess progress made during the previous five years and consider what action will need to be taken in future. A news release will be issued at the end of the event on 13 December. For further information, please contact Alexis Heeb, ICRC Geneva, at aheeb@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 37 72 or +41 79 218 76 10, Twitter: @AHeebICRC.

Also available on our website:

The ICRC’s budget for 2014: At a press conference held on 5 December at the ICRC's Geneva headquarters, President Peter Maurer presented an overview of the organization's operations and priorities for 2014 and the corresponding budgetary requirements. A recorded video of the press conference is posted on http://www.icrc.org/appeals-2014 together with a supporting news release, maps and graphs. For further information, please contact Alexis Heeb, ICRC Geneva, at aheeb@icrc.org on +41 79 218 76 10, Twitter: @AHeebICRC, or the ICRC's Public Relations Service on +41 22 730 34 43.

A video statement issued on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December) is available on www.icrc.org. The ICRC's president highlights the need for full participation in society for people with disabilities. The video statement is accompanied by a photo gallery from a training school for orthopaedic specialists in Kabul, Afghanistan, a short movie about a cricket tournament for players with disabilities in Pakistan, and a photo gallery with personal accounts of members of communities facing the danger of land mines in south-eastern Zimbabwe near the border with Mozambique. For further information, please contact Anastasia Isyuk, ICRC Geneva, at aisyuk@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 30 23 or +41 79 251 93 02.

Outdoor Health Care in Danger campaign in EU: The need to respect health-care providers and facilities is the subject of an outdoor campaign being carried out by the ICRC, the European Union and seven national Red Cross societies in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, London, Madrid, Paris and Warsaw in December. For more information, read our news release or contact Anastasia Isyuk, ICRC Geneva, at aisyuk@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 30 23 or +41 79 251 93 02.